#126
Posted: 9/17/13 at 12:12am
Mr. Freeman might not have been the first Disney voice actor to originate a role they previously did in the film for a stage production. Paige O'Hara was offered to originate the role of Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast' on Broadway, but turned it down.
Quote:
Mary Costa, the original voice of Sleeping Beauty, is a great fan of Paige’s and was disappointed that Paige didn’t sing in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, which I shared with Paige. As Paige explained, she had already signed a contract to star in South Pacific in Australia for fourteen months and they were paying her a lot of money and it was security. She also explained that she felt the role of Belle was for a seventeen year old girl and she was older, so when Jeffrey Katzenberg called to offer her the role, she turned it down. She had discussed trying to get out of her contract with Michael but they really didn’t know how successful the play would be as this was the first Disney Broadway show. “In retrospect, I probably should have done it but I think it was meant for a reason….. I might have joined some of the touring companies later on but we were trying to have a baby and the fertility drugs made me blow up in weight."
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http://micechat.com/blogs/comments/comment23415.html
Quote:
Mary Costa, the original voice of Sleeping Beauty, is a great fan of Paige’s and was disappointed that Paige didn’t sing in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, which I shared with Paige. As Paige explained, she had already signed a contract to star in South Pacific in Australia for fourteen months and they were paying her a lot of money and it was security. She also explained that she felt the role of Belle was for a seventeen year old girl and she was older, so when Jeffrey Katzenberg called to offer her the role, she turned it down. She had discussed trying to get out of her contract with Michael but they really didn’t know how successful the play would be as this was the first Disney Broadway show. “In retrospect, I probably should have done it but I think it was meant for a reason….. I might have joined some of the touring companies later on but we were trying to have a baby and the fertility drugs made me blow up in weight."
End Quote
http://micechat.com/blogs/comments/comment23415.html
